Multiplayer: Success hosting behind a firewall

[CBR]

Thanks for saving me the trouble, CBR.

Did you know I couldn't find anything like that amount of detail in the Apothecary?

I was checking out Apothecary today and couldnt find anything but searching for "ports" or "firewall" gave several hits when searching Jousting Fields instead.


CBR

[EatYerGreens]

I was checking out Apothecary today and couldnt find anything but searching for "ports" or "firewall" gave several hits when searching Jousting Fields instead.
CBR

Ah! I thought it belonged with 'techy stuff'.

In fact, I completely overlooked Jousting Fields. I assumed that was just for people arranging MP meets and so forth. Sometimes I think too logically.

Any new program that connects to the internet will cause Norton to ask me about allowing the program access. Maybe there are other firewalls that are better but to me it seems nice and simple.

McAfee has a similar feature to this. On the first occasion a prog does something with your connection, you get an alert. It doesn't so much pop-up but slides in from the lower right of the screen. The prog updated itself a few days ago and I've already spotted a new feature, which is an extra tickbox for 'Game Mode', which suppresses the alert messages so as not to interfere with fullscreen games. Apparently, after exiting the game, the alerts will be shown when back at the desktop.

At the alert, you can immediately block all access or grant just outbound access. To grant full access requires going to a list of application permissions in the submenus. However, this alone was not sufficient for normal play. When I joined games, I got CTDs just after deployment ended. Only after opening ports was I able to join without problems and also host as well.

[bretwalda]

I have a linksys router/firewall and I could not let mtw vi online hosting through. Finally I had to DMZ (demilitarized zone) my computer and worked. I just mustn't forget to close the router after the game is done...

[EatYerGreens]

Thread bumped for Arkell.

Windows XP Firewall :

Start|Control Panel|Security Centre

Under "Manage Security Settings for:"
click on Windows Firewall.

click on Second tab "Exceptions"

click on "Add Program"

Scroll Down list to relevant version of mtw.exe
(if you have dual installations, both icons will show and the VI version has the triangular-shaped icon)

Click Ok.

Exit out of security centre, connect to internet and fire up the game.

If there are any problems, you'll have noticed the button "Add ports" next to "Add programs". See the list of required ports further back in this thread.

Read the online help for the appropriate syntax for entering lists of single port numbers or ranges of port numbers.
The prompt has a radio button for TCP/UDP, so you may need to enter every port number twice over, once for TCP and again for UDP.

When done, Tick the relevant tickboxes on the Exceptions list for the items you've added.

I have Windows firewall disabled at the moment, so this is incidental, but I only have "Microsoft Direct Play8 Server" and MSN Messenger 6.2 ticked. The other items in the default have specialist uses and are best left closed unless you have a genuine purpose for them. Some are popular points to be 'probed' by hacking attacks.

Hope that helps.

[Jochi Khan]

An even quicker way........
Right click your internet connection icon on the task bar (looks like two monitors)...left click Change Windws Firewall Settings..click Exceptions and put a tick in the prog you want to allow access..click OK. All done

Remember to remove the tick when you have finished playing (hosting)

Jochi

[Alexanderofmacedon]

I hate firewalls with a vengence. My dad has me on some parental controls, and sometimes I feel like breaking my computer...

[Budwise]

Okay, I don't use virus software or firewalls. To be honest, I don't really care about attacks on my PC. I can always reformat and reinstall windows and my games so its not really a big deal. If I think I have a virus, I use an online free virus scan.

I hate firewalls with a vengence. My dad has me on some parental controls, and sometimes I feel like breaking my computer...

You have two options to fix your little problem, one - install a keylogger and don't let him know about it. Then screw up your system so he has to use his master password to fix the problem and that way you can look at the keylogger and find his password. THen use it and disable the firewall.

Or, just find out how he lock you out and uninstall the program "by mistake"